BP lube in brass shotgun shells with BP

[Dusty Morningwood]

Nope, no need for lube in shotshells, waste of time and lube. Good luck

Jefro

Yup!

[Tater Pickens]

Mako
The steel wool /moose milk procedure was the way I finally got things clean yesterday after coming back from the range. At your suggestion I did the same procedure again a few minutes ago and still was getting black marks on my paper towel used for drying the bores. I pushed several paper towels through until they came out clean, then when I went to run a patch soaked with ballistol through for lubrication I got still more black. Finally I was able to run  a ballistol patch through and come out clean. As far as the bores look like they seem to be mirror like to my untrained eye but possibly could still stand a polishing procedure just to be on the safe side. How do I do that or is that something a gunsmith has to do.

The loads I was shooting yesterday was 25 shells loaded with a 4.3 dipper of Graf's 3F Schutzen, nitro wad, 1/2 cushion dry wad, 1-1/2 oz of 7.5 lead shot and overshot card glued in with sodium silicate. The other load was 25 shells, square load of 1-1/4 powder (schutzen 3F)and shot with 1/2 inch wad soaked in SPG over the nitro wad with another nitro wad between lubed wad and shot, overshot glued in with Elmers glue.

I may try the polishing routine just to put this issue to bed once and for all. I have about decided to forego the lube wad in the shell in that from the remarks I am hearing here that they don't really serve much purpose and could blow holes in my pattern. I am shooting clays with this gun and not trying to knock down steel targets so I don't need too tight a pattern but one that will pop a clay even if a couple of pellets hit it.

Thanks for your input.
Tater

[Montana Slim]

...and you know the black stuff is lead because ? 

I'd guess the black is more BP fouling and/or smokeless residue. Its not uncommon to have a trace left behind after "bathing" the bore, drying and oiling (normal procudeure for BP cleanup). Left set for a day or more, the oil loosens trace fouling that was left n the bore/chambers. Plus, if you've ever shot smokeless, there will be residue from those shells fired that likely never came out. It was under the recent BP fouling. Shooting BP regularly will eventually purge it of those evil substances.

Whether to lube or not...Give it a go without, fire a round of trap & see. I suggest taking a few squares of cardboard along. Pattern each barrel before shooting a "round"...then again after firing the round.

My experience is that if the humidity is very high...AND the gun has a rest period between shooting every 4 shots or so, you might get away with no lube...maybe. 25 rounds in a hurry...well, I know where I'd put my dollar 

Best,
Slim

[Tater Pickens]

Slim, I am aware the black stuff is not lead. I was just amazed that after  a lot of scrubbing with soap and water on a bore mop, bore snaking with ballistol, bore mopping with a bore mop wrapped in fine steel wool soaked in moosemilk, then drying the bores with paper towels, and finally getting clean paper towels in my drying process, that when runnning a patch of ballistol through for final lubrication that I was still getting fouling out. Sorry I didn't make my self clear on that.

You make a good point about shooting 25 rounds in a hurry. I am not shooting with anybody else-just one round after another and the barrell is very hot after 25 quick rounds. Maybe I should just slow down and not heat the gun up so much.

P.S. I did shoot some smokeless through the gun a few months ago while shooting trap with my son. I only had 25 brass BP shells on hand and used some of his smokeless shells to run the secong round. That was months ago tho' and I have shot lots of BP through the gun since then and as a lesson learned I ordered 50 more brass shells so I now have 75 on hand and won't get caught short handed again and have to resort to borrowing smokeless to finish the shoot.

Tater

[Lucky R. K.]

You make a good point about shooting 25 rounds in a hurry. I am not shooting with anybody else-just one round after another and the barrell is very hot after 25 quick rounds. Maybe I should just slow down and not heat the gun up so much.

Tater,
If you are shooting 25 rounds fast thru the gun with a 3F load and no lube, that stuff on you patch IS lead.  If you are going to shoot that fast you do need a good BP lube to avoid the leading.

Just my opinion after about 30 years of BP shooting with both muzzleloading and Cartridge guns.

Lucky